In-line roller skate frame with self-retracting inner wheels

ABSTRACT

There is provided an in-line roller skate frame, consisting of a main frame (which connects directly to the skate boot) and a pair of bogeys which pivot within the mainframe on transverse axes. Each bogey will hold a pair of wheels, one outer wheel and one inner wheel per bogey. Each bogey will be acted on by a return spring, actuating when there is no weight being applied to the wheels &amp; pivoting the bogey such that the outer wheels descend and the inner wheels ascend. At full rotation, said bogeys will have pivoted to an extent that the inner wheels do not protrude below the side wall members of the main frame.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to the field of in-line roller skates, and more particularly to the use of front and rear bogeys to independently support front and rear wheel pairs, respectively, of an in-line roller skate, with bogeys acted upon by respective return springs.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] The use of bogey supported wheels in an in-line roller skate is generally known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,090 describes a roller skate wherein the front two wheels of the skate are supported by a bogey, thus enabling the skater to lift the rear wheel, while maintaining the front two wheels in contact with the skating surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,605 is also of general interest relative to the use of wheel-supporting bogies to provide a steerable vehicle, such as roller skates.

[0005] The roller skating art provides various means to absorb shock in a manner so as to minimize the shock that is transmitted to the feet of the skater. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,479 describes a roller skate having a forward inclined lever and a rear inclined lever, each lever being aligned with the direction of skating. A mid-point of each lever is pivoted to a frame that is carried below the skate shoe. The lower portion of each lever mounts a pair of laterally spaced wheels. The upper portion of each lever is connected to the frame by way of shock absorbing rubber cushion rings. U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,692 describes an in-line roller skate wherein each wheel is separately cushioned. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,987, 2,557,331, 3,653,678, 3,951,422, and 4,351,538 are additional examples of the general use of some form of shock absorber in the roller skate art.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,071 describes an in-line skate brake assembly wherein lifting of the toe, or heel of the skate shoe, operates to bring the rear or the front skate wheel into engagement with a braking surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,244 also teaches an arrangement of this general type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,726 teaches another arrangement for actuating a roller skate brake upon lifting the toe of the skate shoe.

[0007] While these designs all apply to in-line roller skates, their purpose is to improve the ride quality and/or ease of operation of the skate for general skating. Their design offers little to freestyle skating, where the skater rides on an infinite range of surfaces and attempts to perform radical manouevres in the process. Such a style of skating requires that the skate performs to suit these surfaces and manouevres.

[0008] Freestyle skating is often practiced in parks specifically designed for their use, on a range of obstacles such as concrete blocks referred to as “ledges” and metal pipes referred to as “rails”. The manouevres which freestyle skaters perform on these obstacles often require greater than average clearance between the pairs of wheels, such that the inner wheels do not interfere with the performance of these manouevres.

[0009] It is common practice in freestyle skating to use inner wheels of a smaller radius than the outer wheels, in order to provide greater clearance. This compromises the rolling performance of the skate as a whole, but does allow the inner wheels to contact the rolling surface on convex or irregular surfaces thus preventing the skate frame from fouling the rolling surface in these instances.

[0010] It is also common practice in freestyle skating to remove the inner wheels altogether, in order to provide even greater clearance. This limits the use of the skate as a whole for its primary purpose, and is an extreme measure in order to maximize the clearance necessary for radical manouevres.

[0011] Both these practices place the skater″s weight on the outer wheels alone, which limits the speed and grip of the skate in relation to the rolling surface. A compromise must be made, according to the skater″s style and preference, between the performance of a traditional wheel set-up and the clearance that either of these practices has to offer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0012] The present invention provides an in-line roller skate having a front bogey that supports a front pair of surface-engaging wheels, and a rear bogey that supports a rear pair of surface-engaging wheels. The two bogies and the two pairs of wheels are aligned in the direction of skating so as to provide a well known in-line roller skate configuration.

[0013] An object of the present invention is to allow retraction of the inner wheels when there is no weight applied to the wheels, to provide greater clearance for radical manouevres common to freestyle skating.

[0014] According to the present invention, these objects are achieved in an in-line skate consisting of a main frame (which connects directly to the skate boot) and a pair of bogeys which pivot within the mainframe on transverse axes. Each bogey will hold a pair of wheels, one outer wheel and one inner wheel per bogey.

[0015] Each bogey will be acted on by a return spring, actuating when there is no weight being applied to the wheels & pivoting the bogey such that the outer wheels descend and the inner wheels ascend. At full rotation, said bogeys will have pivoted to an extent that the inner wheels do not protrude below the side wall members of the main frame, that is to say the inner wheels are concealed within the main frame.

[0016] The objects of the invention as outlined above, as well as additional objects thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an in-line roller skate frame according to the invention with wheels attached;

[0018]FIG. 2 is an assembly view of the frame of FIG. 1, consisting of the mainframe and the bogeys;

[0019]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the bogey of FIG. 2 with wheels attached;

[0020]FIG. 4 is an assembly view of the frame of FIG. 1 with wheels attached, where no weight is applied through the wheels, and the inner wheels are concealed within the main frame;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] With reference to FIG. 1, the present invention provides an in-line roller skate frame connected to the boot for supporting the usual compliment of four longitudinally aligned wheels 4. In reference to the embodiment, the wheels are connected to the frame in the usual manner, using countersunk axle bolts that thread into an axle pin (not shown) extending through the wheel. Additional countersunk bolts 5 are shown, and are described in further detail below.

[0022] The wheels themselves may also be conventional consisting of an outer tire, a hub and a bearing assembly disposed annularly between the axle pin and the hub which allows the wheel to rotate freely. The structure of the wheels, their mounting for rotation and the connection of the chassis to the boot are all conventional and will not therefore be described in further detail.

[0023] The present invention consists of two principal components as shown in FIG. 2, namely a mainframe 1 for suspending bogeys in relation to the boot, and bogeys 2 & 3 for mounting one inner wheel and one outer wheel per bogey. The bogeys are paired on opposite sides of the wheels and are mirror images of one another in shape and size.

[0024] With reference to FIG. 3, the bogey supports the wheels using countersunk axle bolts 5 that thread into an axle pin (not shown) extending through the wheel, and pivots within the mainframe on an additional countersunk axle bolt while being supported by said mainframe.

[0025] With reference to FIG. 4, the bogeys 2 & 3 have pivoted fully to allow for retraction of the inner wheels. The return springs 6 & 7 have actuated their respective bogeys since the skater″s weight is no longer applied to the wheels, providing full clearance of the frame between the outer wheels to allow for radical manouevres common to freestyle skating.

[0026] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. In an in-line roller skate adapted to move in a travel direction relative to a skating surface, the skate having a skate boot with a toe portion, a heel portion and a generally horizontally extending sole; Said in-line roller skate where the frame is comprised of a mainframe which connects directly to the boot, and a pair of bogeys which pivot within the mainframe on transverse axes; Said in-line roller skate frame where said mainframe is comprised of first and second parallel side wall members extending vertically down from said sole, said first and second wall members being horizontally spaced apart and extending in said travel direction; Said in-line roller skate frame where said bogeys are acted upon by their respective return springs, actuating when there is no weight being applied to the wheels & pivoting the bogey such that the outer wheels descend and the inner wheels ascend; Said in-line roller skate frame where said return springs act upon said bogeys, effectively retracting inner wheels such that at full rotation, said bogeys will have pivoted to an extent that said inner wheels do not protrude below said parallel side wall members of said mainframe; 